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ws a. -ry
SP
r
The Weather Today. O
00 701 was tlis TIMES' circa.
.OLjOS lallon for last weak,
C7T. : T7Tr
Generally fair.
J?ot so warm.
Southwesterly winds
' W
1p. STAR'Snirmihtini nn nnN
t. nu
L
J
for last week was
j'
TOIL. 3. NO. 791.
WASHINGTON, D. C, TUJESDAT MOANING, MAX li, 1896-EIGHT PAGES.
ONE CENT.
Peremptory Sale at Auc ion of Fine and Medium
. . . Priced ...
Bed Room Furniture,
Dining Room Furniture,
Hall and Entry Furniture,
Miscellaneous Furniture
In Mahogany, Mahogany Vermillion, Birch, Quar
tered Oak, Maple, Prima Vera Woods,
THE PRODUCT OF THE
PHCENIX FURNITURE COMPANY,
OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
And will be sold to the Jiighest bidders by auction, com
mencing tomorrow morning, ten o'clock, from the furniture
warerooms lately occupied by CRAIG & HARDING, corner
13th and F streets, the floors of which were rented by us for
this sale, owing to want of rQ
logues ready and goods open to inspection today.
Sale Tomorrow Morning, May 20,
at 10 o'clock,
and. Vlll be continued from day to day until all is sold.
the most important and varied collection of fine and medium
priced furniture ever offered in America
at auction.-
-The 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th floors of the Craig &
Harding building, 13th and P, are packed
with the goods to be sold.
An unusual opportunity is therefore presented to the people
of Washington and vicinity to buy the finest qual
ity of furniture made at low prices.
IDon't fail to attend the opening sale tomorrow morning,
May 20, at 10 o'clock.
i iiB Issh f I
Auctioneers.
FIRE FIEND WAS ABROAD.
XongfellowCottuReAiiionsMnny Villus
Destroyed at Concord.
Concord, Mass., May 18. -The fire tbat
started tills uooii lu tlie wcods surround
ing Lake "Walden was one of tlie fiercest
ever known here, and it has burned over
more than 1,000 acres of wcodland and
defetroved hundreds of ecrds of wood.
Some of the principal lesses in Concord
are the ertate of the late Kalph "Waldo
Emerson, Hon. George Derby, and It. G.
Wood.
Lvnn, Mass., May 18.-The residence
portiou of the town of Nahant was this
afternoon the scene of a disastrous Tire,
which destroyed five valuable summer resi
dences, causing a property loss approxi
mating $100,000.
Among those destroyed was the Long
fellow cottage, wheic the poet spent his
summers for many years, and where the
"Bells of Lynn" was composed and -written.
-Wilkesbarrc, Pa., May IS. The electric
light plant at "Whitehaven was destroyed
by file this afternoon. The loss is said to
be $20,000.
Toms River, N. J., May IS.-Word was re
roilSiii'l I IB mlr 1 111H-J liil IliBil KL
MhNhuK
The Wooden Horse on the Baaar.
C. G. SLOAN & CO.,
Auctioneers.
ovra
nm.T Clata-
VVUl xxj.
G OW8!
ceived in this place this afternoon that the
town of "Warctown, Ocean county, is burn
ing. "Waretown is eleven miles south of
this place and four miles north of Barnegat.
It is quite a good sized place and has a
population of several thousand people.
The latest news received here was to the
effect that the fire was blazing fiercely and
It looked as if the whole town would be
destroyed.
MISS OAZA-BD'SMUKDEItER.
HlsUodv Found in a l'ond, Where Die
Had Committed Suicide.
llarnstnble, Mass., May IS. The search
ing parties that were quickly organized yes
terday to hunt for-AIexauder. the murderer
or Miss Hazard, found no clew to his where
abouts until late yesterday afternoon, when
three pistol reports were beard, which
guided the searchers to the head of Snow's
Pond, where the roudcrer'shatand revolver
and a score of cartridges were found on the
ground.
The pond was dragged, and about dark
Alexander's body was recovered. There
was a bullet wound in the temple. On the
body was found a letter, apparently writ
ten Sunday, addressed to Kev. Mr. Dawes.
THREE ARE
U EIIU I
SEVEN INJURED
One of f asliiiiEton's first lire
Horrors Expenceil
Last Kilt.
FUN ME THE HIS
Tliree Conlfl Not Be Saved anfl One Was
Rescued By Heroism.
LOSS PERHAPS $250,000
Block-Between Ninth and Tenth and
Louisiana Avenue and B Street
N. W. Almost Outted.
Fallen Llvo Wires Hindered the Fire
Fighters nud Caused Several In
juries Fireman Kettler Was Ren
cued from Under the Bourns After
Hours' Imprisonment Dead
5 -
Men Leuvo Fa hi Hies, -f-
KILLED.
GEORGrB P. GILES, assist
ant foreman Engine Company
No. 9.
THOMAS A. GRIFFIN,
Truck D.
WILLIAM CONWAY, En
gine Company No. 9.
INJURED.
GEORGE W. KETTLER,
acting foreman Engine No. 8;
crushed and burned; will re
cover. JOSEPH MULHALL, En
gine Company No. 8; crushed
and burned; will recover.
ARTHUR DONALDSON,
Engine Company No. 8; crush
ed. McLLWEE, Engine Com
pany No. 8; leg crushed; slight
burns.
MICHAEL BARRY, Engine
Company No: 7; injured by
bursting hose pipe.
ALONZO TAYLOR, right
hand burned by electric wire.
EDWARD C. FREY, face
burned by electric wire.
Five great casualties and crimes have
shocked this city iu the last seventeen
years.
The last was the fire last night, which
all but destroyed the block bounded by
Louisiana avenue and B, and Ninth and
Tenth streets northwest.
In this catastrophe three firemen lost
their lives and a number were seriously
Injured.
The financial loss was inconsiderable
when reckoned against the loss of life and.
the heroism of the firemen, who worked
unceasingly and without regard to their
own safety to rescue a brother in peril.
Beginning with the Garfield assassination
and running the gamut through the Ford
building tragedy, the Knox warehouse
fire, and the Slumph factory disaster,
nothing in our municipal annals so hor
rified the people of Washington as did the
awful scenes now scarcely twelve hours
old.
KETTLER'S BRAVE RESCUERS.
Scarcely had the fire been under control
when it was learned that George "W.
Kettler, acting foreman of No. 8, and
George P. Giles, assistant foreman of No.
9, had been buried under falling debris at
the premises 926 Louisiana avenue.
Chief Parris knowing that the flames
could not then spread, and pathetically
anxious concerning his subordinates, turned
his entire attention to the work of rescue.
This was useless as far as Assistant Fore
man Giles was concerned. Shortly before
12 o'clock a charred body was tenderly
conveyed to a waiting ambulance by his
tearful comrades. The operations of the
department then centered on Acting Fore
man Kettler of No. 8, who lay under a
beam pinioned in the salesroom of Com
mission Merchant Clark, at No. 926.
GRIEF OF THE FATHER.
It was then that the most pathetic and
dramatic incident of the whole terrible
night took place.
Kettler's father and brother stood on
the sidewalk in front of the smouldering
building. They knew that a brother and
son lay underneath the continually falling
debris. The young man could not be
restrained and rushed into the building
with tlie firemen. There was a pause of
several minutes, during which twenty
willing hands lifted the smouldering lum
ber and hotlron from above the imprisoned
unfortunate.
Shortly before 12 there came a crash.
The second floor had fallen Jn and the
prison bars over the supine sufferer were
even more effectively locked.
That did not deter the workers. Back
they went; ropes were secured and heavy
pieces of building material were hauled
from the top of the pile under which lay
a human life".
ONE MORE CRASH.
At 12:1Q, only a few minutes later, came
another fall. The second and third stor
ies had given away and everything except
the bare front and party walls seemed to
have crashed down on the men who were
working for Kettler's life.
A murmur of awe and horror ran through
the assembled thousands, and it was for a
moment feared thatthe rescuers were
doomed. :
Suddenly tlie- crowd sent up a cheer.
Four men, those who Were working In the
rear of the building, jumped over the raf
ters, through the flro.f smoke and spurks
and made safe way to the broad pavement.
Chief Parris, heartsick at the possible
and seemingly probable fate of fonr more
of his men.oheerc.1 with the crowd asthey
emerged from the 'building. Then he
directed that the streams play to the rear
and back of thcimprfsoned man.
RESCUE OF KETTLER.
At 1:40 the efforts of brave men were t
rewarded. It appeared that a beam had
pinioned Kettler's limb, and that the
rest of his body was ;free from danger and
protected by nn overhanging timber placed
there by the foreman of Truck A. The in
jured man was quickly conveyed to an am
bulance and removed to Providence Hos
pital. At 1:30 a gang of .twenty men were put
to work pulling up masses of lumber and hot
iron above the bocliesofGriffinand Conway
which are supposed to be in the basement
of the premises, 926 Louisiana avenue, im
mediately adjoining the building from which
Kettler was taken and where Giles met his
death.
By 9-30 o'clock the fire had been gotten
under control on the B street side, and the
scene of active operations was changed
to the commission house of William E.
Clark, No. 924 Louisiana avenue. The
Upper stories of this building were burn
ing fiercely and a line of hose was stretched
across tlie sidewalk and directed toward
tlie upper windows.
The plpcmen of engine company No. 8
pushed their way through the lower doors
and .directed a stream Into the blazing in
terior. Soon the flames on the first floor
gave way before the avalanche of water
and st-n by step the firemen forced their
waj into the building.
They had succeeded in gaining thirty feet
on the flame sand were almost lost to view
from the street, when, without a word of
warning, the floors above gave way and
came crashing down upon them.
FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES.
The men made a rush for the street at
the firht cry of warning from the crowd
outside. Two of them succeeded in reach
ing the doorway. Their-clothing was on
fire and their faces neurly cracked with
the intense heat.
"My God! there's three more inside,"
cried a fireman in-the crowd.
Instantly there was a rush for the
seething mass of fire which hissed and
flared up inside the walls. A stream of
water was at once turned on the flames
and everything possible done to prevent
them reaching the iniprlEoned men. The
men of -No. 8 company worked frantically
to save their comrades.
The upper floors of the Clark building
were loaded down with heavy iron material
and with this great weight the walls of the
old buildings proved regular death traps.
Great iron girders arid heavy wooden beams
were twisted out-from beneath the pile of
debris and thrown upon the sidewalk.
FIRST MAN RESCUED.
A hose was keptcbnslnntly playlngon the
smoking pile to prevent the flames from
creeping up on the pinioned men.
At 10 o'clock, after twenty minutes of
desperate effort, the first man was brought
out more dead than alive.
His smoke begrimed features were hardly
recognizable, but a comrade bent over him
and brushing the mud from his face said:
"It's Arthur Donaldson."
The injured man raised his head and
smiled weakly at those about him.
"IJni all right, boys," he said, "but you
got me out just in time. There's more
of ein back there."
Donaldson was lifted into the ambulance
and taken to Emergency Hospital, and then
the workof res-cue was. resumed. Backinto
the flames dashed the firemen and yanked
and hauled at the heavy timbers. Every
moment the walls were expected to fall
about them, but In spite of personal danger
they struggled to free the men imprisoned
beneath them.
ANOTHER ONE FOUND.
A man's leg waseen sticking up between
two heavy timbersand a shoutof encourage
ment went up from the workers. Soon
a part of his body was exposed and a cup
of water handed down to him as he lay be
neath an immense girder. "Within fifteen
minutes from the time Donaldson was
taken out Tipenian Mcllwee, also of No.
8, was reached and lifted out on a stretcher
and Into the patrol wagon.
A girder had fallen directly over him
and one end had lodged against a pile of
iron, forming a bridge which supported the
timbers above and prevented the man
from being crushed to death instantly.
Mcllwee had been In the ruins half an
hour and told the rescuers that two other
men w'cre also imprisoned beneath the
charred pile.
After another hour of hard work Joseph -Multiall,
pipeman in No. 8 company, was
hauled out more dead than alive. Despite
the firemen's efforts the flames had crept
up on the imprisoned man and the lower
part of his'body was badly scorched, ne
was placed in the Sixth precinct patrol
wagon and taken to Providence Hospital.
KETTLER'S A"WFUL POSITION.
The ouly man no w'leftrin the Clark build
ing was Georgo "W. Keltler, assistant forc
manofNo.8 company. Hehadbecn nearer
the ce titer of the building urging his men
on and had been caught and crushed down
before he could take a half dozen steps.
A great beam lay across his chest, but
despite the pain he endured he called to
the rescuers and cheered them on as they
slowly worked toward him. Inch by inch
and step by step thcrmenfought their way
toward their comrade.
They had almost, reacheh him and he
had raised his hand to take a cup of water
one of tlie men had brought, when with a
sharp crack, like that of a revolver, tho
floorsln the building nextdoor came crash
ing and grinding clown, burying four more
men in the burning ruins.
The crowd which had gathered closely
around the workmen started back with a
cry of horror as the firemen came tumbling
out into the street covered with dirt and
mortar dust.
The word was soon passed that several
members of JNo. 0 Company who had been
at work on thel third floor, must have
"gone down to anorrlble death among the
flaming debris; lyhich filled the lower part
of the btilldiug,- t
FLAMES -DEO VETHEM BACK.
Citizens and firemen Uike made arush
for the doorway7iu a mad effort to help
those within If possible. The flames drove
them back, however, aud o hose had to bo
1 turned on the flaming pile, before the
fSS",
.VdHVtit'J
Morton Cadets vs. Fire Engines.
work of rescue could be taken up.
As soon as the flames had been driven
into the interior of the building willinghauds
seized the smoking beams and girders and
heaved them into the street. Twenty
minutes hard work and the body ofjGeorge
P. Giles, assistant foreman of No. 9, was
found crushed and bleeding beneath a
great pile or timbers.
Flames were creeping up on all sides and
the workmen strived heroically to reach
the body first. A line of hose was run
into the opening made and the fire fought
hnelrw.irrt ns tw mnn nrit-nnrwwi
Finally the timbers, were cleared away, I
a stretcher was brought, and the man who
had given his life to obey orders was
lifted tenderly upon the rough cot. a
blanket laid over him and his comrades
bore him to the patrol wagon.
THE BEREAVED FAMILIES.
Giles was married and had three chil
dren. He lived at No. 1748 Fourteenth
street northwest. Yesterday was his day
off. but when he heard there was a big
fire he bade bis wife goodby and rus,,
down to Join his Company for the last
time.
At midnight Mrs. Giles came In search
or her husband. His comrades had not the
heart to tell her the truth and said he
was injured. The poor woman made a
tour of the hospitals In a vain search for
her husband and finally was led away by
friends, who told her the sad truth.
On the ratal third floor with Giles were
"William Conway, of No. 9 Company; and
Thomas A. Griffin, of Truck D. They
also went down into that furnace of flame
and now lie beneath a great heap of smok
ing timbers in the basement of No. 926
Louisiana avenue.
Conway was a r.cw man. It was his
first fire and already he had earned the
commendation of his chief for the manner
in which he conducted himself. He was
unmarried and lived with his mother at
No. 914 First street northwest.
Grirfin was married and leaves a wife
but no children. He lived at No 916
Twenty-fifth street northwest. Although
their bodies had not been found at a late
hour this morning, there is no hope that
they could have lived beneath the burn
ing timbers.
LOSS AND INSURANCE.
Total Damage Will Reach $250,000
with Only Partial Indemnity.
The- effective work of the fire depart
ment in checking the flames and keeping
them within a comparatively u arrow area
reduced the possibilities of the great losses,
which at first appeareuas though they would
exceed a million dollars, as stated iu The
Times' extra edition.
At the time the extra Times was issued,
giving t he city, as usual, the first tie ws of the
disaster, the fire appeared to be uncon
trollable, and it was the belief and rear of
all present, including orricials. that it
would sweep eastward and mclude in its
fiery path the massive Center Market build
ing, the Bijou Opera House and the ex
tensive warehouses and commission stores
on the north side of Louisiana avenue.
This spread was narrowly'averted and
the fire controlled only after the united
and heroic work of the entire department.
A number of insurance men, whose com
panies had issued policies upon the stock,
fixtures and buildings in the burned block,
remained about the scene of the big con
flagration until nearly daybreak this morn
ing trying to estimate the damages. They
were only able, however, to give an ap
proximate estimate owing to the dis
turbed condition of the fire-swept section.
The underwriters also ried in the
amounts they gave, but they were able
to give range figures.
Their estimates place the total loss any
where between $150,000 and $250,000,
with a majority of opinions in favor of
the latter figures. It was difficult, they
stated, to give accurate figures on the
stock insurance in the B street commis
sion houses, as the quantity, quality and
value of the perishables fluctuate from
day to day. Those houses dealt mainly
In live and dressed poultry, butter, eggs,
vegetables, fruits, and such commodities as
are shipped here from producers in Mary
land, Virginia, "West Virginia, Pennsjl
vnnia and other States.
The supply Is regulated largely by the
demand and the productibility of the sea
son, hence it was almost impossible last
night, the insurance men stated, to ar
rive at anything like definite figures.
It is known, however, that the stock,
fixtures, and buildings of many of the
business men were insured for fully- 73
per cent of their respective values.
Police officials approximate the total
loss at $250,000, divided among the
twenty-one establishmeutsthatwere burned
out. In the excitement incident to the
fire, some persons stated that the losses
would exceed $300,000, but this amount
is believed to be too high. Much of the
loss on stock will fall upon small farmers
and shippers in the nearby States, who sent
the goods destroyed to the merchants
here to be sold on commission. The
burned out business men, as a rule, carried
three policies each one on the building
in the 'owner's name, another on the
stock and a third on the fixtures.
TheestablishmentsburnedoutonLouisiana
avenue arc those of "W. E. Clark & Co., agri
cultural implements, Nos. 924 and 926;
extensive stock, probably valued at '$25,
000; insurance unknown.
Hickson & Son, commission merchants,
No. 928; stock valued at about $1,500.
Loving & Co., commission merchants, also
No. 928; stock and fixtures about $500;
no insurance.
F. G. Swain & Son, grocers, No. 930;
stoclcand fixtures about $16,000 insurance
$3,000. ,
Roth&Geoghegap.commlssionmercbants,
No. 932; stock, etc., $4,000; insurance
$1,500.
Poulton Bros., butter and eggs, No. 934;
stock about $S00; insurance unknown.
i r sr- - -- iiMavvciunni ui
O. O. Spicer. commission merchant, No.
936; stock, 56,000; insurance small.
E. M. Walker, grocer, No. 938; stock
about $2,000: no Insurance.
Benzlnger's horse and carriage bazaar,
No. 940; loss about $2,000, In stock.
Berger's restaurant, No. 912; loss small.
The B street merchants are:
E.J. Adams & Company, No.909; Adams
& Brawner No. 907; William S. Anderson
& Company, No. 919; John E. Eayllss &
Company, No. 903; Brown Brothers, No.
927; Henry C. Cobun, No. 923; John A.
Davis & Son, No. 917; William "W.
Lelshear & Son. No. 915; William O.
Shreve, & Son, No. 921; G. Taylor Wade,
No. 911; Jewell Crowley, eating-house.
The losses to stock on the B street side
of tlie burned block will average about
$1,500 to each house.
The buildings burned on Louisiana av
enue are estimated to be worth from
$3,000 to $4,000 each. Those on B
street from $2,000 to $2,300 each.
The buildings on B street are owned by
the Van Ness-Phillips estate. Those on
Louisiana avenue by different parties.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE
Crossed Wires in the Storm Set Fire
to a Switch Box.
The fire originated from an electric wire.
One of the commission houses bad in it a
telegraph box and switch and the exterior
wire becoming crossed during the storm
with an electric light wire, communicated
the spark to the telegraph box and stand
which quickly spread to the surrounding
fixtures, and the veryinflammablecharacter
of the goods on the premises instantly
burst Into a flame which spread rapidly
through the first floor and by the elevator
shafts and stairways to the upper floors.
On account of the high wind which pre
vailed Just before the fire started, the
wires leading to the engine house became
crossed and delay was caused in receiving
the alarms.
Especially was this so with No. 10,
where the alain came in such a mixed up
manner that (hose on duty could no; Tuane
it out. They saw the blaze, but could not
locate it.
Using a neighboring telephone no better
success was had. The company was on the
point of going outin thedirectionoftheblaze
as seen in theskies, when the generalalann
was received. For the reasons given sev
eral of the encines lost fjom three to eight
minutes In getting under way to the fire.
BURNED BY LIVE WIRES.?
Two Men and a Patrol Horse Hurt
by the Subtle Fluid.
Several severe accidents resulted from
detached and overhanging electric light
wires, which becaine unfastened from their
insulators.
Alonzo Taylor was on the roof of building
No. 212 Ninth street, assisting a number
of citizens in wetting the roofs to prevent
the spread of theflames. Suddenly he came
In contact with a live electric light wire
and grasped it.
As though struck by lightning Taylor
pitched forward to thereof, while a sputter
ing blue flame flashed from tlie wire to his
hand. The man lay prostrate upon the
roorquiveringand unconscious when Police
men Sears and Purks rushed to his as
sistance. He was taken down to the
street, still unconscious, and quickly
removed to the Emergency Hospital.
Tho live wire burned a deep furrowlnto
the palm of his hand and reached the bone,
which was charred.
Taylor's escape from instant death by
electrocution was considered miraculous.
Edward E. Fry, of the Maryland and
Virginia Produce Company, had his face
badly scorched by coming in contact with
an electric light wire, which was hanging
from the wooden awning in front of No.
922 Louisiana avenue.
When his cheek struck the wire there was
a flash of light, and Mr. Fry fell in a
heap into the gutter, which was over
running with muddy water. Policeman
Tom Gordon, or No. 6, fished him out. He
was not seriously injured, as the contact
betweeu his face and the hanging wire
was only slight. Had he grasped the
metallic conductor he would no doubt have
been electrocuted.
The horse in the patrol wagon or the
First precinct stepped upon a live wire
while backing up to get one of the in
jured men from the ruins of No. 924
Louisiana avenue. The horse was not
injured, but Driver Sam Cook saw the
electric blaze when it flared under the
animal's iron-clad hoofs and quickly drove
him off the dangerous wire.
RESCUE OF KETTLER.
He Was Imprisoned Four Hours
Under Massive Girders.
The task of rescuing Kettler was a long
and tedious one, and several times it
looked as though the flames, which gained
In intensity at the rear of the wrecked
building, would drive the workers away.
Notwithstanding the danger which
menaced them the rescuers worked bravely.
The rear of the building was in flames,
the Walls were tottering and threatened
every moment to Tall.
To all appearances Kettler was not
badly injured. The falling walls and floors
had apparently escaped striking him In a
vital spot and he was perfectly conscious
duringthe whole time the men were engaged
in digging away the debris.
At 1 o'clock a shout went up from the
workers in the building. They had bared
the man's body and it was expected thathe
would soon be lifted out of the terrible pit
in which he was lying. But this was not
to be.
A large iron pot lay across his right
foot and pinioned him to the earth. Sledge
hammers and crowbars were called into
use to move the mass of iron. During
this trying ordeal Kettler retained his
nerve to a remarkable degree.
NEVER LOST HIS NERVE.
He would occasionally speak to the men
who were working so bard to save his
life. He frequently called for water, which
was handed to him. and he also called for
his wife. She was In the crowd on the
outside of the building, together with his
sister, but it was impossible for her to
reach her husband's side.
About 1:30 o'clock the iron kettle was
moved away from the injured man's foot.
The work of rescue, however, was not
completed. The fire, which had been
burning in the rear of the building, had
increased in intensity, and the workers
were compelled to cease their labors for a
moment.
A stream of water was turned on the
burning portion, and the flames subsided
sufficiently for the men to resume work.
At 1:40 o'clock this morning- the last ob
struction was moved and Kettler lifted
tenderly out of tlie awfi " '- ?hich he
rjv,- 1:3ffe
Near the Ninsh. b.t -eec End.
had been lying for fully four hours. He
was borne to a waiting ambulance and
driven rapidly to Providence Hospital.
TIMES STARTS A FUND.
Last Sflght'H FaalltieH Leave Three
Families Without a Hreud
Winner.
By the shocking fatalities of last night's
fire at least three families were sud
denly reduced to destitute circumstances.
The wages of "Washington firemen are
not sufficiently high to afford many of
the luxuries of flfe to those who are de
pendent upon theae slender incomes and
it always has been the earnest effort ef
The Times to secure increased salaries for
these brave men.
Fireman Griffin leaves a wife. Fireman
Giles leaves a wife and three children, and
Fireman Conway leaves a mother who wa
dependent upon him for support.
The last of the injured had not been ex
tricated from the ruins at the scene of
the fire last night when offers of reHef
for the needy families of the dead firemen,
were made to The Times.
Thecha racterisucprotnptnessof charitable
"Washiugtomans in responding to theappea ls
in behalf of the Kreglo family will doubtless,
be exceeded in the present worthy cause.
The Times gladly subscribes $25 to tha
nucleus ofa fund to relieve UiefamiHesOf the
dead firemen. It knows no "better object
for the -dispensation of charitable funds
and earnestly invites general subscription,
to the fund. Contributions sent to this of
fice will bejluly acknowledged in, the next
regular edition, of The Times. -t
Slgnor Faneuiillr director of the Marina
Band generously offers the services of the
organization for a firemen's benefit concert
to be given at an early date.
SEEN FROM THE CROWD.
Picturesque Features of the Confla
gration and Attendant Incidents,
The fire was one of the most picturesque
In the history of the city. Itateamonsage
dried and time-crumWed buddings, which
fed the flames like sun-scorched hay ot
kerosene dipped fagots.
Scarce bad the alarms given warningtc
the city that the flaming devil was at tu
work than he shot his myriad tongues sky
ward andsilhouettedthetallbuildingsaoouJ
like black giants against a ball of Mght. .
The new postoffice loomed up Mke a fairy
castle in a gorgeous spectaeuiar pJay.
The square tower was framed in light and.
the reflections peeped through the stone
windows and parapets and gables and gave
out line for line the minutest detail oC
the enormous pile.
Before the crowds could gather iu any
quantity the square between B street and
Louisiana avenue. Ninth and Tenth streets,
was foredoomed. The smoke rolled out of
the heart of the buddings and the flames
leaped savagely from roof to roof, spread
iiipdestructionandmakingiteveryrBomeMC a more difficult antagonist for the brave
fire laddies.
Every bell rang the alarm from Anacostia
Bridge to Georgetown, from the river to
the heights and from the black night of
the compass points came the gs.optng;
horses dragging the lumlerinsr engines and
reels and ladder wagons. The clang: of
gougs and shouts of men swelled the bed
lam as theproperty preservers forraedabout
the great bonfire.
SWARMED LIKE ANTS.
The crowds poured in as if the earth,
had belched them up, and the numbers
which packed about the sceae is incalcu
lable, but there were many thousands.
They came on bikes, and the cyclists were
tickled at their advantage over their poor
trodding brethren, but the plodding breth
ren were too busy panting: ftr breath and
pushing forward to the Mecca of all
"Washington.
There were no empty seats in vehicles
pressing toward the fire. "When space
couldn't be begged effectively it was
stolen, and the street cars did a business
like unto the crowds on circus day.
It was an orderly though scarcely a
good-natured crowd, for the awful scene
before them repressed mirth, and those
whose sense of destruction was dulled
found silence natural in tlie presence of
so beautiful a spectacle! The fire lines
were stretched and the mounted poHce
patrolled the blocks, but there was little
necessity for them. The blistering heatv
which a fickle wind fanned in all direo
Ccntlnued on Sixth Page.
You've Heard of the MisfltT
Of -course you have, for its that lively
institution that's odd, unique and of tha
utmost importance to you. whether you.
have your garments made to order or other
wise. Our reputation has been earned
by bargains unheard of ere our advent here.
To reduce our stock of merchant tailor
made garments, we offer today and tomor
row the choice or our light colored ana
serge suits at $8 and $10 each. Every gar
ment is tailor-made aud made to measure
from $20 to $30. Custom-made trousers,
ordered at from $4 to $6 today at $2.50.
AH goods sold by us kept In repair one
year free of charge. Merchant Tailors
Misrit Clothlug Parlors, 407 Seventh street
northwest.
Ivy Institute Business College, 8th and
K. Our unexcelled summer course, $3.
Congress Heights oflice 631 Pa. ave. xnr.
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